Five stats to help judge South Carolina Gamecocks football progress in 2021

Judging success in year one of a new head coach will always come up and be talked about, and when asked Beamer harps on maximizing potential and putting the best version of South Carolina on the field.

But, like he and Luke Day say, if it's important to a team they need to measure it, and there will certainly be statistical ways to measure success and improvement from 2020 to 2021.

With so many stats being available to dissect, there are a few key ones that will help determine if South Carolina shows improvement in year one under Shane Beamer.

6.3 yards per pass attempt

National, SEC rank: 100, 12

SEC average: 7.7 yards

The skinny: South Carolina's pass game last year was clunky at best, and the Gamecocks are going to have to be more efficient throwing to take the next step offensively under Marcus Satterfield.

Also see: Priority linebacker previews upcoming unofficial visit

Yards per pass attempt is typically one of the better ways to judge pass game efficiency, and if the Gamecocks even creep up to SEC average it would mean jumps from not only the quarterback spot but a few others.

More yards per pass attempt would mean the line improved from a pass protection standpoint and the receivers stepped up after a tough 2020 season. This is not to say the Gamecocks will jump and average double-digit yards per attempt—only Alabama (11), Ole Miss (10.3) and Florida (9.6) got close—but inching closer to the league average would show signs of an improved pass attack.

54 opponent explosive plays

National, SEC rank: 106, 11

SEC average: 50 plays of 20-plus yards

The skinny: The biggest downfall of last year's porous defense was giving up far too many big plays, and the Gamecocks gave up an average of 5.4 plays per game over 20 yards, one of the highest marks in the SEC with only Ole Miss (59), Vanderbilt (59) and LSU (79) allowing more.

If the Gamecocks see those explosive play—which is the name of the game in college football—numbers decrease, it would mean shoring up the secondary and getting good snaps from a lot of new faces back there and improved play from the Gamecock defensive front seven.

Also see: Latest recruiting scoop, more on a potential visit soon

0.340 points per play

National, SEC rank: 91, 11

SEC average: 0.402

The skinny: The Gamecocks only averaged 23.5 points per game but the scoring offense was more anemic than that when it's broken down per play. Because the offense wasn't able to generate a ton of explosive plays, it meant having to string together long, drawn-out drives and caused issues from a scoring perspective.

It's about as obvious a statement there is, but the Gamecocks need to score more but need to be efficient doing it. Getting that point per play number into the fours would be progress and show signs of improvement in most offensive facets.

48.4 opponent third down percentage

National, SEC rank: 115, 13

SEC average: 42.53 percent

The skinny: The sign of a good defense is typically three-fold. First, is how many turnovers it can force (we'll get to that soon), red zone defense and, maybe most importantly third down defense.

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The Gamecocks were the second-worst in the SEC with opponents converting nearly 50 percent of third downs last season (Auburn's 50.3 percent was the worst) and improving there will certainly show signs of growth defensively.

South Carolina struggled last year getting offenses in third and long, and if the Gamecocks can improve there then the third down rate will certainly creep down and the defense will look much improved from last season.

Minus-4 turnover margin

National, SEC rank: T-96, 9

SEC average: plus-0.36

The skinny: The Gamecocks' last nine-win season in 2017 South Carolina was plus-11 but since the best they've been is plus-3 in 2019. In 2018 they were minus-5 and a minus-4 last season.

There's an offensive perspective to this in terms of protecting the ball and the Gamecocks averaged 1.5 giveaways last season compared to 1.1 takeaways. That will have to improve, and it does it means not only South Carolina's offense is protecting the ball and playing well offensively but doing well forcing turnovers as well.

The Goings Law Firm will serve as the official sponsor of our 2021 Football Coverage. The attorneys at the Goings Law Firm are proud South Carolinians and avid Gamecock fans. The Goings Law Firm has earned a reputation as one of the preeminent litigation firms in South Carolina in the fields of personal injury, wrongful death, and workers compensation.

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